Frequent Sinus Infections

Guvnor513

Hi, all... Sorry for the long post here. I am a guitar player who has had to invade your ranks... I've been (trying) to learn to sing for several years. Slowly, I've gotten slightly better. I got Ken's video set in December of last year and have been working with it here and there since then. I wish I could say I have diligently practiced every day but unfortunately life and career have gotten in the way.

Anyway, I have been singing more lately as I have committed myself to finishing some original material that I've had around for ages. I have been in the studio working with a producer - great musician - and he's told me I'm singing too high for my range. His explanation made sense but I resisted because, in my writing, I have equated the higher register with 'more energy.'

I also got a call from a buddy to sit in at bar with him on a duo gig the other night as well. I spent last week putting some songs together to sing and focused on finding keys that were super comfortable for me. (Hotel California? Sure - dropping that bad boy down a major 3rd - What's up, Don Henley?) I'd never really done this before but I kept thinking back to what my producer had said, and took the opportunity to see how I sounded with the lower keys. It felt much better and I didn't seem to tire out as easily. Also, as he predicted, my pitch was better.

You may be wondering what this has to do with the thread title. Well, I was coming off a slight sinus infection and a period of irregular (READ: NO) vocal practice (not to mention a Metallica show where I screamed my head off for 3 hours). Anyway, I practiced up to help my buddy out, and ended up singing for about an hour give or take. Now, in the past, periods of intense practice (every day) in preparation for some singing performance I had to do, would usually result in a sinus infection for me. I felt a little discomfort in the sinus passages over the weekend and thought I might have another one coming on. I used my Sinupulse machine and that seemed to help a little. Today, I have a little bit of tenderness in the sinus area as if the membrane is irritated. I sing in the car and around the house all the time and I'm usually okay - it seems like if I sing out somewhere or perform, boom - I'm hit.

Is it possible that I am screwing up my technique and aggravating something to bring these on? Anyone else have a similar issue?

Gaston_Jauregui

@Guvnor513 it depends on how well you know the program, Ken used to have sinus infections, even pneumonia, and still sing awesome (but of course he is Ken), so I would train carefully and sing carefully and try to learn as much as possible, to get the feeling of how to apply all you train for, to me, one of the most important parts is the "vocal tract shaping exercises" and its applications, here is a video where Ken expands a lot on this subject plus your program, this will really help you to get to a better level https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZATunybJm_4

doc_ramadani

Hello @Guvnor513,

I am a medical doctor from germany. When I read what you write, it comes to my mind that maybe it has something to do with the breathing technique. Do you take your breath through the nose or through the mouth?

Regards,
Doc

Guvnor513

Thanks for the responses! I breathe primarily through the nose, I would say -- though I am not sure how I breathe while experiencing 'performance' nerves.

Gaston_Jauregui

@Guvnor513 hi, this will clarify the subject of breathing, I used to try to breathe through the nose ALL the time, what ended hapening was that I wouldnt be able to do it, (sing with ease) why? because if lets say, you are singing a fast song, you dont have time to breathe through the nose, just right now try to breathe as fast as you can through the nose, youll see, what happens is that your nostrills will shut and you wont be able to breathe correctly as if you took a slow breath through the nose, you should be able to breathe through the nose without hearing the sound of the breath, thats how it should be done the right way, I always joke around that if you breathe really fast thorugh the nose youll end up eating your buggers haha because that´s what will happen!!!

so I always post this video of Pavarotti singing nessun dorma, youll notice he breathes through the nose when he has time, and when he doesnt have time he breathes throuogh the mouth, this is the best way to think about this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27pnQNzUlz8

so by now watching this you notice, this is why we should study phrase by phrase. and then try a whole verse (just like a guitar solo) then verse chorus, even with a sheet of paper and write down what we really be concious of.

example first line of the verse: through the nose, second line can I do it? try , no? through the mouth, next part can I? yes ok through the nose....


this way youll propgram yourself to do this right

hope this helps

doc_ramadani

Hi @Guvnor513,

so @Gaston_Jauregui was faster. I am with him, totally. If you try to rush too much air through your nasal shells and the nasopharynx they will tend to dry out. This makes the epithelium of your mucous membranes very vulnerable for infections. So, if you are are on heavy duty it might be a good solution to try to find a good mixture between breathing through the nose and breathing through your mouth.

If you continue to observe sinusitises after you "sing out somewhere or perform, boom" I would recommend to consult an ENT colleague.

Regards and stay healthy,
Doc

Guvnor513

Thank you guys for the advice. It is much appreciated. I have always tried to breathe through the nose to try and get as much moisture as possible; it will be hard to change it up but that's why we are here, right?

I have actually just gotten allergy testing done and they are seeing a hypersensitivity to dust and mold. I should start allergy shots next week to (correct me if I am wrong here, Doc) condition my body's response to these allergens. If that doesn't work, it's off to the ENT. I have found over the last few weeks that using a nasal irrigation system on a regular basis helps a lot, too.

Thanks again - and I'll keep you guys posted.

trock121

If using a Neti Pot be very careful not to exhale to hard and force water into your inner ear. Chronic sinus infections are caused by one micro-organism becoming too prevalent in your sinuses. I used a neti pot and colloidal silver for years to manage a chronic sinus infection until I learned how to fight the cause of the problem. I cured a chronic sinus infection in 2 weeks by inhaling watered down Koji Sauce. The Aspergillus Orzae are very potent (a little goes a long way) and will overcome the offending micro-organism. Start out very slowly and carefully and be ready for a really runny nose for a few hours afterwards. As annoying as this is, it is quite a relief after months of dry sinuses that need washed out every day. Aspergillus are also very effective at fermenting vegetables and creating super foods. A holistic approach is always the best way. Hope this helps.

Klaus_T

hi @trock121 , since I am in the middle of battling an acute sinusitis, I am more than interested to learn about this approach. I'm assuming it also works for acute sinusitis (vs. chronic), do you happen to know anything about that? How did you inhale the water, with the Neti Pot? How much water did you use and what was the water/aspergillus ratio?

It kind of sounds a bit scary to put a micro-organism in your nose for it to grow there, but I suffer from this sort of stuff a lot in winter, so I am open to unorthodox methods

Also, did anyone catch Ken say something about how he believes the surge in illnesses (and how long they last) he believes to be chem-trail related? Can't remember which video it was, unfortunately. Since he doesn't seem like he wears a tinfoil hat off-camera, it got me thinking quite a bit.

Thank you